The California Air Resources Board approved an amendment allowing compliance with national greenhouse gas emissions regulations for passenger vehicles set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to qualify for compliance under the California’s clean car rules.

The Board’s action today is the final step in establishing a single national program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing vehicle efficiency. It is the culmination of two years of close cooperation with the Obama Administration to develop strong standards that will save consumers money at the pump, move us away from our dependence on petroleum and help clean our air.

—Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols

The approved amendment, known as a “deem to comply” measure, acknowledges that the federal vehicle standard satisfies California’s requirements. Approval of the amendment marks the fulfillment of a commitment California made in the summer of 2011 to auto manufacturers and the Obama administration to accept the proposed federal standards as equivalent to its own.

The greenhouse gas standards under the California Low Emission Vehicle (LEV III) standard, like the federal program, will be in effect for the 2017 through 2025 model years and are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% over that period.